Opinions on VW Tiguan ?

Deschodt · 11:08 AM

Help me decide on another car....

Our job/school route situation has changed and now I really need a 4 door car that can carry 1 kid and 1 baby without destroying my back getting them belted in.

Logic says to finally grow up and ditch my Cayman S and get something fun w/ 4 doors, like an S4/M3 or whatever but I've been down that path before - my CS is pretty close to fully depreciated and it's a lot of fun.... I'm pretty picky and it's rare that I find a car I like (so far, most Porsches and the 2.0 GTI and that's it), so I want to keep the Cayman a while longer....

So once more I'm thinking about either a cheap beater like an old 5 series (had one before with kid#1, a $5000 beater car, great car but constant $$$ in repairs and murder on insurance: more $$ than the Cayman!). Apparently I can lease a Tiguan for $250 or less per month for 3y - normally I avoid leases but that's about on par with depreciation on anything else, it'd be new/under warranty... Heck.... I'd drive it to work once a week tops and the rest of the time it's just there to do the round at school... It's cheap, the 39 mo lease lease will expire about the same time the need for baby seats will, and I just turn it in... Had a GTI before, I like the 2.0T engine, not sure about the handling of that thing but it's $6K less than a 4 door GTI and higher/better on kid loading... any reasons I should not do this (the car, and the lease) ? Owners out there ?

kaisen · 06-11-2012, 11:13 AM

I'm not a huge fan of the Tiguan, but your overall logic of the situation makes sense to me.

I think you'll find most Pelicans would like the Tiguan, but advise you not to lease. YMMV

Deschodt · 06-11-2012, 11:23 AM

What would you do in my shoes Eric ?

The way I look at it, if I trade in the CaymanS for a nice German 4 door sedan, I'm gonna lose oodles of money in depreciation and lose my nimble cayman. My CS being a 2006 is not gonna drop very much comparatively in the same timeframe, and I know I love it. Not sure I'll like, say, an S4 to the same degree...

I agree on the lease, generally that' s a bad idea... In this case I'm toying with it because $250 a month is not much money (the beater bmw was costing that in repairs), it's substantially less than buying it, I'd definitely be < mileage limit, and I'm pretty sure I won't wanna keep it one day longer than the lease term -> Just turn it in, no hassle with selling etc... Ugh.... Again, if this is flawed logic, please shoot holes in it... I'm really not sure what to do... I also got a line on a superb E39 540i, but BTDT, those cars are not super reliable anymore and expensive to fix.

RWebb · RWebb's Garage

well, the BMW will soon be "all repaired" at that rate, won't it?

other than the lease monthly cost, what appeals to you about the Tig-one...

gprsh924 · 06-11-2012, 01:08 PM

What's the initial payment on the lease?

I have an E39. A $250 a month lease would have been a better financial decision for me, but I am driving about 25k miles a year right now. If you like the Tiguan enough to drive it every day, this path seems to make logical sense.

kaisen · 06-11-2012, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deschodt

What would you do in my shoes Eric ?

The way I look at it, if I trade in the CaymanS for a nice German 4 door sedan, I'm gonna lose oodles of money in depreciation and lose my nimble cayman. My CS being a 2006 is not gonna drop very much comparatively in the same timeframe, and I know I love it. Not sure I'll like, say, an S4 to the same degree...

I agree on the lease, generally that' s a bad idea... In this case I'm toying with it because $250 a month is not much money (the beater bmw was costing that in repairs), it's substantially less than buying it, I'd definitely be < mileage limit, and I'm pretty sure I won't wanna keep it one day longer than the lease term -> Just turn it in, no hassle with selling etc... Ugh.... Again, if this is flawed logic, please shoot holes in it... I'm really not sure what to do... I also got a line on a superb E39 540i, but BTDT, those cars are not super reliable anymore and expensive to fix.

Just to restate: I think the idea of leasing a vehicle for 36-39 months is a good one, given your specific circumstances. Should it be a Tiguan? It depends on the relativity of other comparable choices. In a lease, resale value and repair costs really don't factor -- two potentially (historically) ugly points of VW ownership. So if you prefer the way the Tiguan drives and works for you, it could be a good move.

Certainly keep the Cayman S. No reason not to. You just have to decide whether your money is best spent in a newer car where you're paying for depreciation, or an older car where you're paying for upkeep and repairs. I think leasing is a good way to pay for depreciation while hedging your bet in terms of resale risk and out-of-warranty expense that owning a new(er) car could have.

There are a lot of nice cute-utes or sedans out there. Any of them can be leased. Just pick what you like first, and look for the deal second.

Deschodt · 08:24 AM

I made up my mind...eventually...

What appealed to me about the Tiguan was the higher seating to slide the baby in the back without killing my back, GTI like engine, and I thought decent dynamics since it;s a golf on stilts.... well I went and test drove one and I hated it... It didn't help that i drove my wife's Land Rover there...It's neither as solid as that Landie, or as fun as the GTI it's supposedly based on... Flimsy feel, laggy transmission, slow, not much bigger than a Golf.... So I was all set to go to my backup, a 4 door GTI (and reflash it - those things are uber quick with $500 of software), when out of curiosity I test drove a TDi....

I was shocked, it's been a while since I drove a diesel... Not bad at all.... 240 lb/ft of torque will get you moving, and the interior was very upscale, nice bucket seats and all... Since I commute 95 mi daily, I'm gonna give that a shot and save the Cayman some miles. Same price as the GTI out the door... Still trying to decide whether I buy it outright or use their 0.9% APR (free money?) - leasing is out, as I'd wanna keep the diesel long term. Me, a diesel, who'd have thunk ? ;-) It'll also help make the Cayman S..pecial again !

5String43 · 06-13-2012, 06:25 AM

Isn't the Tiguan basically a Dodge minivan? If indeed that's correct, and I think it might be, I'd have second thoughts about owning/leasing one of the things.

Deschodt · 06-13-2012, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5String43

Isn't the Tiguan basically a Dodge minivan? If indeed that's correct, and I think it might be, I'd have second thoughts about owning/leasing one of the things.

You're thinking Touran or something.... The tiguan is a Rav4 like VW.. But I'm out ;-)
GOlf diesel it is !

speeder · speeder's Garage

Good choice you made. The modern diesel cars drive like a dream and if anything are more suited to highway driving than their gas counterparts. It's just a shame that every company does not make a competitor to VW in the small TDI class, in Europe they all do. Here in the U.S., it's Volkswagen or nothing. Luckily the new VWs are pretty nice.

gprsh924 · 06-13-2012, 11:14 AM

At .9% why not makes payments?

Unless you have piles of money sitting around.

porwolf · 06-13-2012, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speeder

Good choice you made. The modern diesel cars drive like a dream and if anything are more suited to highway driving than their gas counterparts. It's just a shame that every company does not make a competitor to VW in the small TDI class, in Europe they all do. Here in the U.S., it's Volkswagen or nothing. Luckily the new VWs are pretty nice.

When I read the good reports on the new VW TDI's I was impressed on how in Europe they were able to improve the old diesel technology that make them nimble and fun.

Now I read a brand new report in Germany the the days of the small car Diesels are numbered! Why? Because the new small Diesel engines operate at the upper limits of high pressure injection technology. Also all other components are of highly marginal technology especially the extremely high RPM turbo chargers and the newest pollution control technology. This all should reflect badly on maintenance and repairs down the road compared to similar regular gasoline engines. The new small Diesel engines are no comparison the the older, long life, low maintenance personal car Diesels.